THE ROCKETEER

This is the figure that I was planning on reviewing for my 100th post but my Neo-Viper post ran long and so The Rocketeer had to wait until blog entry 101. I’ve never given much thought to what toy I’ll review when but once I realized how quickly I was pumping them out and that I’d reach 100 posts sooner than later and I thought I should reserve this figure for that landmark post. What makes this figure so special you ask? Well are you retarded? Just look at him, this figure is f**king awesome. If you’re not familiar with the Rocketeer he is a super hero of sorts created by Dave Stevens in the early 80s. Stunt pilot Cliff Secord stumbles upon an experimental jet-pack that he uses to become the Rocketeer. There were only a handful of stories published but these stories caught the attention of Hollywood. Disney produced a live action Rocketeer movie in 1991 starring Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin and Timothy Dalton. It was this movie that introduced me to the character. I loved him immediately; he was like Iron Man mixed with Indiana Jones. His stories takes place in the late 1930s and like Indiana Jones he battles the Nazis. The Nazis are such great villains that I can see why so many creators of fictional characters use them as the foil in their adventures. Indy, Hellboy, and Captain America are just a few of the characters that have gone toe to toe with Hitler’s evil forces. The director of the Rocketeer movie, Joe Johnston actually went on to direct the Captain America movie last year which I’m sure felt like familiar territory for him. Just a side note, Johnston also directed a couple of other movies that I’ve mentioned on here recently The Wolfman and Jurassic Park 3 so go check out some of his films already. After the movie came out and captured my imagination there was unfortunately nowhere for me to turn for more Rocketeer, no comics, no toys, no nothing. I had always wished for a cool Rocketeer toy and some cool comics to read or even another movie but nothing came. Years later I found a hollow rubber Rocketeer toy akin to a dog’s squeaky toy which I displayed on my shelf. It was pretty lame looking but it was the only merchandise available. But then Japanese toy company Medicom released this 12 inch masterpiece. I first saw it online but didn’t think I’d ever be able to shell out the $200+ asking price. But then my comic shop Strange Adventures got one in and I had to see it on the shelf tempting me week after week. I believe it was priced at $250 which was a little more than I could justify for a figure. The owner even offered to go down to $200 for me but it was still a little steep. I’ve mentioned before that the shop has fantastic deals on from time to time, sometimes going as high as 90% off certain items. I bided my time and figured I’d snag it once there was a sale on that would drop the price down to something more attainable. Well a couple of years ago I brought my then girlfriend Nicole with me to the shop. I believe there was a 30% off sale going on and I was doing some pre-holiday shopping for myself. I pointed out the Rocketeer to her and told her that one day I would own it but even 30% was not a big enough discount to yet justify the purchase. Well bless her heart she saw how bad I wanted it and she went back to the shop later and picked it up for me.

This figure is everything I hoped it would be, absolutely amazing. The costume has a very authentic look and feel with buckles and snaps on the jacket and pants. The jet pack is nicely detailed and covered with sculpted rivets and a paint wash that appears to give it some age. In a really nice detail the backpack even has a wad of gum on it which Cliff used in the movie to plug a gas leak. The helmet is sculpted brilliantly with the large dark glass eyes that you can’t quite see through. If I have one gripe about this figure its that I wish his helmet was removable and that there was a nicely sculpted face of actor Billy Campbell. The figure includes his signature mauser pistol, a couple of different hand choices that can be swapped out as well as a clear figure stand to help you pose him. This is an absolutely great figure and a true highlight of my collection. 10 out of 10.

I read this post yesterday and I forgot to leave my comment. Excellent toy, excellent movie. I agree with your score. Is it sad that I’m addicted to your friggin blog? I check multiple times a day looking for a new post.

This one is kick ass. It looks really nice. 12″ is my favorite scale for most figures. I hate to admit I’ve never seen the movie. Duck under Mike throwing an old IG-88 figure at my head. I love the old serials like “Radar Men From The Moon” and “King Of The Rocket Men” so I know I’ll love this movie.

This is an amazing figure. 12 inches is nice (don’t quote me on that) but I think 3 3/4″ is my favorite scale. It allows for vehicles and playsets and are more affordable. They’ve come a long way over the years with the amount of detail they can fit on the small figures as well.